EASTON, MARYLAND — About one in four Talbot County Public Schools bus runs takes longer than an hour, against a district goal of 60 minutes at most, according to a transportation update prepared for the Board of Education's Oct. 14 meeting.
Six runs take more than 80 minutes, and the update lists five of them. Most routes run 20 to 60 minutes, the update says, and the long runs cluster in the St. Michaels area and on rural routes.
| Run | Run time | Miles | Stops | Main reason listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Michaels route 220 (morning) | 84 min | 42.6 | 30 | Longest mileage and most stops |
| St. Michaels route 242 (morning) | 84 min | 33.8 | 24 | Far-end geography |
| Easton Elementary route 203 (afternoon) | 83 min | 25.4 | 12 | Dispersed rural stops |
| St. Michaels route 235 (afternoon) | 82 min | 35.2 | 26 | Far-end geography |
| Easton High/Easton Middle route 244 (afternoon) | 81 min | 26.3 | 30 | High stop density |
The update names three causes. Under the tiered bell schedule, a late first-tier bus makes the second tier late, which it calls an issue in the first weeks of school. Rural routes mean long distances between stops, and mileage, not idle time, sets those run lengths. And several routes carry 25 to 33 stops, each one adding time at the curb.
It also says only about 3 miles in 100 are driven empty and buses run 86% full. That leaves little slack: when a route runs late, there are few spare seats or spare buses to shift riders onto, which the update says is why the problem is hard to fix without added resources.
Two options are listed. Sustained recruiting and retention of drivers, so one absence doesn't ripple through the tiers, is marked ongoing and tied to the budget. Rebalancing assignments on the most-loaded runs to trim stops and shorten the longest routes is marked as depending on staffing. The update's bottom line calls the system efficient and safe and names increased driver pay and recruitment as the medium- to long-term solution.
Shafer, the district's director of operations, was listed for the update under unfinished business. The update does not give a count of driver openings or a pay figure.
The board's next work session is Monday, Nov. 9, and its next regular meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Talbot County Education Center, 12 Magnolia Street, Easton.
The goal is 60 minutes. Six runs still go past 80.
Source: Talbot County Public Schools
Also: Talbot County Public Schools (2), Talbot County Public Schools (3)
Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.
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